The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 81 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earned the Kirkus Star with publication dates between November 1, 2015, and October 31, 2016 (see FAQ for exceptions), are automatically nominated for the 2016 Kirkus Prize, and the winners will be selected on November 3, 2016, by an esteemed panel composed of nationally respected writers and highly regarded booksellers, librarians and Kirkus critics.

KIRKUS REVIEW

At first alarmed by the “beast in
her belly,” a little girl eventually makes peace with it in this very short
chapter book.

The unnamed narrator of this Polish
import is a spunky, bespectacled preschooler who meets with endless frustration
as she tries to convince her family about the titular beast. She is so upset
that she even forgoes her slice of cake, which causes the beast to make
“whimpering sounds like it was sorry.” She works hard to identify the
creature—cat? dog? carp?—but all she’s really able to discover is that it seems
to like her favorite foods, quieting down with contentment after they eat.
Kasdepke’s deadpan text is fluidly translated by Monod-Gayraud, unfurling with
a quiet irony that will elicit chuckles from both adults and children. After
the beast leads the little girl to the fridge for a midnight snack, “I
discovered what a greedy beast it was! It wouldn’t go back to sleep until it
had eaten not one, not two, not three, but four sausages!” Koztowski’s
expressive illustrations are dominated by oranges and teals, varying layout and
placement on the page with controlled whimsy. The “beast” is depicted as an
ever present orange circle against the girl’s midriff; scribbly representations
of the various creatures she imagines it to be appear in the margins.

An amusing take on a universal human
experience, one that should strike giggling chords among its readers. (Fiction.
7-10)

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